Interview with Sebastian Ofner - "Hope we play with Dominic Thiem"
Sebastian Ofner will compete with the Austrian team at the ATP Cup in Sydney. In an interview with tennisnet, the Styrian talks about his preparation, the Davis Cup final tournament in Madrid and his coaching situation.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Dec 20, 2019, 09:28 am
tennisnet : Mr. Ofner. You ended your long season with the Challenger in Ortisei late. How many days of vacation did you take afterwards, since when have you been back in training?
Sebastian Ofner : I took two weeks off, but have been back in training for two weeks.
tennisnet : You reached the final in Ortisei, lost there against Jannik Sinner. What was your impression of the 18 year old Italian?
Ofner : I think he plays really well. It is extremely wide for its age. It will be interesting to see how far he really gets. But the basis is definitely there at Sinner.
tennisnet : What have you mainly been working on in the last few days?
Ofner : In the end, the focus was less on tennis, since there was only one session a day. But fitness two or three times a day because my focus was more on the physical aspects. Otherwise, we worked a lot on the shots because my coach Wolfgang Thiem says that technically it fits really well at the moment. Now it's just a matter of repeating that security is there.
tennisnet : Traditionally, your forehand was more of a problem. To what extent is this done?
Ofner : There is definitely more that can be done, even if we have already improved a lot. I also notice that in training: The forehand is really stable. Now, of course, it's about getting it across in the match. The way I did it in Ortisei. It was of course a good thing that it worked so well at the last tournament of the season. And that's how I want to attack the top 100 in 2020.
First out with Alex Peya
tennisnet : If you say you have worked a lot on fitness - was that a point that was not a hundred percent correct in the past year?
Ofner : I do that every off season. Nevertheless, there was still room for improvement in this aspect. Especially since I haven't had a fitness trainer for a whole year. They are pretty difficult to find. That was never quite right. But now I've started working with Pernhaupt Florian again. And then I realize for myself how good it is for me.
tennisnet : You played the Davis Cup in Finland last year, and now Premstätten is moving to the final tournament in Madrid in early March. What was your impression of the 2019 premiere?
Ofner : I think the event was mega raised. But of course some players were missing. It is difficult to say what it will be like next year. On the other hand, there is so much money involved. The appointment, as has been said many times before, is of course difficult, especially for the top players. But if we qualify, I really hope that we'll play with the Dominic.
tennisnet : You will soon be flying to Australia for the ATP Cup with your coach and Dennis Novak. What comes after
Ofner : Then the qualification for the Australian Open continues, followed by three challengers, two of them in the USA, one in Mexico. And then maybe the qualification for the 500cc tournament in Acapulco. I stay on hard court. And then the Davis Cup is already in March.
tennisnet : In autumn 2019 you were out and about with Alexander Peya. Who will accompany you to the Challenger tournaments mentioned?
Ofner : Alex is in the USA and Mexico, you have to look after that because Alex himself wants to get fit again and go back on tour.